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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had bought this book on a whim. I'm fascinated by anything Irish, and it is definitely a weakness of mine if you couldn't tell. I loved the concept of this book. The idea is awesome.
Kevin Hearne did not do well with this idea though. The writing is stifling and wordy. The dialogue doesn't flow naturally. Everyone talks like they're from the Iron Age. They are from the Iron Age, but I would think a smart Druid like Atticus O'Sullivan would have figured out the lingo. And if he could then I'm pretty sure the gods and goddesses he came across would too. It just felt immature and overwrought because of how much explaining he had to do.
Atticus is supposed to be some hunk. I never really got that vibe. Hearne kept having to have Atticus tell me how much a sexy beast he was instead of showing me. And the only real way he showed me was by throwing Atticus into this random, casual sex relationship with Flidais, goddess of the hunt. I just think he could have had a lot more fun with this whole thing instead of feeling like he had to explain every little thing.
The book is filled with Atticus meeting people. It gets annoying. One goddess leaves, another one comes in, she leaves and a witch comes. By the end I was exhausted because of the constant flow of the plot. There didn't seem to be any twists or excitement. Atticus was too good at what he did. He was too confident in his abilities too. A character that is much less learned or has some flaws is a lot more readable and accessible.
His relationship with his dog, Oberon, is cool, but I could not stand Oberon. The damn mutt talked like a teenager. I'm sorry, but I don't think my dog wants to be Genghis Khan. There were a lot of things Oberon would say that were cheesy and they only made me think "Do dogs even know what that is?" I don't think dogs care enough to understand the details of our lives. I think they sense things differently and if they could talk it would be more sporadic and spontaneous, not full-on conversations that actually make sense. Oberon was my least favorite character and he was probably supposed to be the entertainment in the book. I am still unsure as to why he's there.
The revelation about Granuaile comes too late in the story. Hey, I'm going to introduce this character near the end of the middle of the book then I'm going to have her plot suddenly become pertinent at the end even though it doesn't tie with anything else in the book. I wanted to scream.
The only reason I didn't hate this book was because of the history of Ireland it provided. I could tell it was very well researched and I'm pretty sure I just don't fit the mold of who this book was written for: teenagers who love fantasy and like a good sword fight and no depth to their reading whatsoever. Atticus could be an interesting character. I might read the other two installments just to see if they get better. I did end up skimming at the end of this one which is never a good sign.
Kevin Hearne did not do well with this idea though. The writing is stifling and wordy. The dialogue doesn't flow naturally. Everyone talks like they're from the Iron Age. They are from the Iron Age, but I would think a smart Druid like Atticus O'Sullivan would have figured out the lingo. And if he could then I'm pretty sure the gods and goddesses he came across would too. It just felt immature and overwrought because of how much explaining he had to do.
Atticus is supposed to be some hunk. I never really got that vibe. Hearne kept having to have Atticus tell me how much a sexy beast he was instead of showing me. And the only real way he showed me was by throwing Atticus into this random, casual sex relationship with Flidais, goddess of the hunt. I just think he could have had a lot more fun with this whole thing instead of feeling like he had to explain every little thing.
The book is filled with Atticus meeting people. It gets annoying. One goddess leaves, another one comes in, she leaves and a witch comes. By the end I was exhausted because of the constant flow of the plot. There didn't seem to be any twists or excitement. Atticus was too good at what he did. He was too confident in his abilities too. A character that is much less learned or has some flaws is a lot more readable and accessible.
His relationship with his dog, Oberon, is cool, but I could not stand Oberon. The damn mutt talked like a teenager. I'm sorry, but I don't think my dog wants to be Genghis Khan. There were a lot of things Oberon would say that were cheesy and they only made me think "Do dogs even know what that is?" I don't think dogs care enough to understand the details of our lives. I think they sense things differently and if they could talk it would be more sporadic and spontaneous, not full-on conversations that actually make sense. Oberon was my least favorite character and he was probably supposed to be the entertainment in the book. I am still unsure as to why he's there.
The revelation about Granuaile comes too late in the story. Hey, I'm going to introduce this character near the end of the middle of the book then I'm going to have her plot suddenly become pertinent at the end even though it doesn't tie with anything else in the book. I wanted to scream.
The only reason I didn't hate this book was because of the history of Ireland it provided. I could tell it was very well researched and I'm pretty sure I just don't fit the mold of who this book was written for: teenagers who love fantasy and like a good sword fight and no depth to their reading whatsoever. Atticus could be an interesting character. I might read the other two installments just to see if they get better. I did end up skimming at the end of this one which is never a good sign.
This series was suggested to me when I was having a book hangover from the Dresden Files, so I naturally compared the two, but in this review I will attempt to allow it to stand on its own.
I liked the book in general, but I had a few problems with it. With a book like this (pop contemporary urban fantasy) I've found that I have to care about the characters themselves in order to really get into it. To me, there wasn't much that Atticus did to really show his personality. Sure, he fought, he planned, he talked, but I got no real sense of him besides, "I'm a Druid. I'm Irish. I like women and I hate witches." He didn't say or do anything as a person to really make him stand out. I think the same about the other characters. They seemed to be almost props instead of people. No real character development that I could see, no lesson learned. To be fair, maybe that will come in later books.
On the same note, I was disappointed that Atticus kicked ass at the very beginning of the book. Granted, he's ancient and would be dead if he didn't have some heavy artillery, but I guess I wanted more dire circumstances. The action was okay, but at no point did I sit back and say, "Oh, shit" when something bad happened, like I do with all my favorite books. There was no tension for me, which I think is necessary.
Overall, it was okay, and I'll probably read the next book to see if I like the series better. After all, it took me until book 6 to like the Dresden Files. :)
I liked the book in general, but I had a few problems with it. With a book like this (pop contemporary urban fantasy) I've found that I have to care about the characters themselves in order to really get into it. To me, there wasn't much that Atticus did to really show his personality. Sure, he fought, he planned, he talked, but I got no real sense of him besides, "I'm a Druid. I'm Irish. I like women and I hate witches." He didn't say or do anything as a person to really make him stand out. I think the same about the other characters. They seemed to be almost props instead of people. No real character development that I could see, no lesson learned. To be fair, maybe that will come in later books.
On the same note, I was disappointed that Atticus kicked ass at the very beginning of the book. Granted, he's ancient and would be dead if he didn't have some heavy artillery, but I guess I wanted more dire circumstances. The action was okay, but at no point did I sit back and say, "Oh, shit" when something bad happened, like I do with all my favorite books. There was no tension for me, which I think is necessary.
Overall, it was okay, and I'll probably read the next book to see if I like the series better. After all, it took me until book 6 to like the Dresden Files. :)
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An awful lot of exposition, and a paucity of quality prose and dialogue equals a prime example of a book trapped in genre stereotype. Recently read Gaiman's American Gods, so I got the sense that the author started with the pantheon represented there, possibly a little too exclusively.
Other reviewers have noted that the subsequent books improve -- I'm willing to give the next continuation a try to see if it is any more rewarding.
Other reviewers have noted that the subsequent books improve -- I'm willing to give the next continuation a try to see if it is any more rewarding.
A thoroughly refreshing book that took a little while to get going, but once it did, it was thrilling! Such original concepts and very modern writing style and content.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Did not finish. The main character is so annoying. It's hard to imagine that after being alive for 2100 years someone would not have had any personal growth, reflection, or empathy for others. It's a character trying to sound smart and witty and on top of everything, but it's a shallow façade. Oh and the casual misogyny/toxic masculinity ("an unusually sensitive father" comment). Plus he's ageist against a 90-year-old witch who looks 20, but he (2100 years) has no problem sleeping with young women all the time. It's a little too much for me to sympathize with. The book reads easily but if this were a real person I wouldn't hang out with them, so I decided to stop spending my book time with them too.
Didn't like it. Flat out. It failed to engage me. The main character, really old druid Atticus, was kind of flat. He lacked any kind of real depth. He also (and I take it this is a theme for the rest of the series) has the ability to attract more trouble in two days than he has in 2000 years. Other characters (almost always of the mythological persuasion) dropped in at random, more to trot out mythological references than to make a meaningful contribution to the plot. All female characters are beautiful, often a goddess, and always hot for Atticus (naturally), but lack depth or any notable complexity or authenticity. Mostly, one never feels Atticus is any real danger or his actions meaningful because the author never allows him that level of frailty, weakness, or human connection. He is just good looking, powerful, and going through the motions. Boring and thus dropped.
It first I was a little overwhelmed by the number of supernatural forces active in the described world. Not only vampires and werewolves, not only witches, but also gods, druid and so on. But they blend together and create an interesting atmosphere. Also Druids are refreshing and not overused.
I liked the story and will follow the adventures of the Iron Druid.
I liked the story and will follow the adventures of the Iron Druid.